Dead Girl Walking by Linda Joy Singleton Page B

kiss. I didn’t even know Chad, and it was Leah he liked anyway. Still, escaping with him wouldn’t exactly be a hardship.
    “So let’s get moving,” he told me.
    “But how can I leave without being caught?”
    “The same way I got in. Locked doors can’t stop me,” he said with a confident wink. “There’s always an angle, and I know them all. When I heard you were released from the hospital but they wouldn’t put through my calls for you, I waited for the chance to come over. Then I snuck through the back door.”
    “No one saw you?”
    “Only Angie, but she’s cool with me and won’t say anything.”
    I almost asked who Angie was, but that might make Chad suspicious. As long as Chad believed I was Leah, he was my one-way ticket out of here. I’d pretend a little longer; at least until I could get back to my own body.
    “Turn around,” I told him as I got off the bed.
    “Why?”
    “So I can get dressed.”
    “Since when did you develop modesty?” Chad’s intimate, flirty tone gave me an uneasy feeling he’d spent more time with Leah’s naked body than I had.
    My cheeks grew hot. “Please turn around,” I said firmly.
    Chad shot me a puzzled look, but did as I asked.
    I searched the first drawer in Leah’s dresser and found stacks of folded socks. Another drawer scored an orderly selection of lingerie. I walked into the spacious closet filled with rows and rows of brand-name fashions, and finally chose a pale blue T-shirt and a pair of hip-hugging, sequined jeans. It felt strange wearing someone else’s clothes—almost as strange as wearing someone else’s body. The simple act of slipping on jeans and a shirt felt unnatural, as if my brain was disconnected from this body.
    “You can look now,” I told him.
    His eyes darkened as he smiled, then whistled low.
    “Does that mean I look okay?”
    “Totally irresistible,” he said, slipping an arm around me and kissing my neck. Shivers tickled my skin. “What’s the hurry to leave, anyway? I could lock the door and—”
    “No!”
    “It wouldn’t take long—”
    “Not now. It’s too soon.”
    “It’s been too long for me, and I thought you’d feel the same way.” He blew on my neck and I felt so dizzy I could hardly breathe.
    “Um …” Deep breath. “We should … uh … go now.”
    “Whatever you say. We can make up for lost time later. And don’t forget your purse again. It’s over there, by the hamper.”
    “Uh … thanks.” I bent over to slip the strap of a small red vinyl purse over my shoulder. It was surprisingly heavy for a micro purse and I wondered what Leah kept inside. But that was the least of my concerns, and could wait.
    Right now, I was getting out of here.
    Thanks to Chad, the door was no longer locked. As I stepped into the hall, I was dizzy with freedom. But scared, too. Everything was still so confusing. When I looked down the unfamiliar hallway I hesitated, uncertain. To the left was a long hall, and to the right, a staircase.
    I started to turn right, but Chad grabbed my arm. “Where’re you going?”
    “Um … outside?”
    “You’ll never make it if you walk past your parents’ room. The door is open and I heard the TV blaring, so your mother must be in there.”
    “Oh … yeah. I’m all for avoiding her.”
    “We’ll cut through the kitchen and then go around the garage,” he said.
    I nodded, as if this made perfect sense. Then I followed him to the left, relieved to see a curved wooden staircase as we turned a corner.
    “Shh. Be real quiet.” He put his finger to his lips. “Hunter is playing games.”
    Hunter who? I almost asked. But I stopped myself and just nodded, as if I knew exactly who Hunter was and why he would prevent me from leaving. Tiptoeing down the stairs, we came out into a tiled hall with a high ceiling. Again I had no idea which way to go, so I followed Chad.
    Electronic beeps blasted as we passed what I guessed was a game room. Chad put his finger to his lips in